Medical devices such as ingestible capsules providing for diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract are common in the marketplace. In World Patent Application WO07013059A2, which is incorporated herein by reference, an extendable capsule introducible into an organ, such as the stomach or intestine, for treatment purposes, such as in cases of morbid obesity, is disclosed. One or more arms attached to the main body of the capsule can be extended to touch inner surfaces of the organ at respective contact points. The arms can be repeatedly moved, such as in a sliding motion, a tilting motion and/or a perpendicular pressure motion, thereby stimulating and or moving the inner surfaces of the organ at the respective points of contact is accomplished.
Constipation represents a significant problem. More than 130 million people suffer from this problem worldwide. The present medication is partially effective and is associated with significant side effects. Vibration applied to the abdominal wall, such as by its massaging,
generally stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and thereby alleviate constipation.
However, such technique is cumbersome and may be ineffective in patients with a thick or muscular abdominal wall which may attenuate such vibrations. Therefore any device providing for alternately and repeatedly pressurizing and vibrating the intestine walls and thereby stimulating them is beneficial.